VOLVO's PINCODE BANDITRY.

[don kalmar union]

Volvo presently protect various aspects of their current cars' electronics in all areas by many different vehicle specific pincodes that are required to make changes and adjustments.

So important is this to future owners and Volvo's apparent interest in holding them to ransome that any person buying a new vehicle should require that ALL these codes are given or undertaken to be given on delivery before an order is placed.

This situation has been known about for a while now as it effectively prevents the installation of aftermarket software by flashing through the OBD port. It can be overcome by opening the ECU, but that is a time consuming process and not entirely without problems. In this respect these PIN codes allow Polestar (Volvo's in house 'tuner') an advantage that may very well be at variance with EU and other consumer associated law. From the get-go they hinder the customers from making choices about just how they run, maintain and enjoy their cars in the widest sense.

To get an idea of just the frenetic and heavy handed an approach Volvo are taking in this matter they have sent representives, not just one, over on trips from Sweden to the UK over the past few months to lay the heavy hand on dealers and subscribers to their VIDA system.

If some attention is to be focussed on this Volvo should be made to reconsider their position by losing current business at the point of order closure in their dealerships.

If as a first owner of a new Volvo car you do this it is likely to increase the resale value as this banditry on Volvo's part will get publicity that will lower used values if the cars cannot be maintained by non franchised operators and owners have to pay dealers an effective ransome for any work to be carried out, other legitmate traders being locked out of the opportunity to work arround substantial areas of these vehicles..

Regards, Don.

[Elderly]

When exactly did Volvo introduce this measure?

[norchi]

'bout 3 years ago...it is a real sleeper that will cost owners dearly in the longer term.

There is a good contribution from an interested party here on a thread I started some weeks ago on a US centric Volvo interest forum: http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?191111...

regards, Don.

[jith]

don kalmar union said:

Volvo presently protect various aspects of their current cars' electronics in all areas by many different vehicle specific pincodes that are required to make changes and adjustments.

So important is this to future owners and Volvo's apparent interest in holding them to ransome that any person buying a new vehicle should require that ALL these codes are given or undertaken to be given on delivery before an order is placed.

This situation has been known about for a while now as it effectively prevents the installation of aftermarket software by flashing through the OBD port. It can be overcome by opening the ECU, but that is a time consuming process and not entirely without problems. In this respect these PIN codes allow Polestar (Volvo's in house 'tuner') an advantage that may very well be at variance with EU and other consumer associated law. From the get-go they hinder the customers from making choices about just how they run, maintain and enjoy their cars in the widest sense.

To get an idea of just the frenetic and heavy handed an approach Volvo are taking in this matter they have sent representives, not just one, over on trips from Sweden to the UK over the past few months to lay the heavy hand on dealers and subscribers to their VIDA system.

If some attention is to be focussed on this Volvo should be made to reconsider their position by losing current business at the point of order closure in their dealerships.

If as a first owner of a new Volvo car you do this it is likely to increase the resale value as this banditry on Volvo's part will get publicity that will lower used values if the cars cannot be maintained by non franchised operators and owners have to pay dealers an effective ransome for any work to be carried out, other legitmate traders being locked out of the opportunity to work arround substantial areas of these vehicles..

Regards, Don.

And this on top of their utterly appallingly designed DPF cleaner injection system. It simply doesn't work. I have replaced 2 DPFs so far at extremely low mileages which had completely failed. Utter crap!!

J

[Jimbo.]

So the issue is you can't remap them?

Big deal. I can hear the fleet buyers, the "old money" brigade and architects throughout the land burning their Volvos in protest.

[norchi]

Just to return to this racket as I have been in conversations elsewhere with potential customers put off by this from buying some post new and used Volvos..

It does effect those wishing to flash in aftermarket hardware through the OBD, but since last posting some work arrounds have surfaced as always....

However, the real problem is away from this very narrow field of interest because it affects every aspect of Volvo ownership, preventing any entity other than a Volvo dealer from carrying out any work whatsoever in most all electrical functions of a vehicle.

Edited by norchi on Tuesday 15th October 22:58

[morgrp]

When volvo bin off the 5pot there won't be much point in tuning them anyway

[anonymous-user]

morgrp said:

When volvo bin off the 5pot there won't be much point in tuning them anyway

Or buying them, in fact.